Miracle Chick!

[CrazyFowlFreak]

I've raised some of the nicest chickens as singletons. Put a fluffy stuffed animal in the brooder and a small mirror, it'll be fine. You MUST save Oscar!!!! After that messy start, it deserves to live.

 

[HeatherLynn]

Get it a stuffed toy. Don't tell the collectors but I used a beanie baby as a buddy for a single goose baby before. Man was that thing nasty when it was all over. UGG Anywho they will cuddle up to them. A bit of warmth and a nice "buddy". Your miracle baby will be fine. It beat the odds so far this must be a chick you were destined to have.

 

[In His Service]

If I were closer, I would take Oscar in a heartbeat...i have 3 in my downstairs bathroom in a large plastic storage tub with a brooder lamp clamped onto the shelf nearby. One of these is our little miracle baby, although nowhere near as much as yours. Momma hatched 3 out of 9 eggs, then left the nest so we took the other 6 and put them into our homemade incubator even though we were looking at day 25 already. Two days later we had almost given up hope, when one finally pipped just as I was supposed to go to my DS and DD's softball practice. Fortunately, the chick waited till we were all home, then we all crowded around and watched her hatch...named her what else, Hope. Our new motto...never give up hope(Hope).

 

[NYRIR]

What a good story

 

[sian]

Great story!

The only singleton chicks I've ever raised have turned out nasty. I'd recommend you ask around and see if you can find a couple of similar aged chicks. I have one poor Lakennvelder pullet who was the only one to hatch, got two Delawares to keep her company, put them out in the brooder age 6 weeks, somehow she "fell out" and got pecked by the older birds, so now she's back in my dining room with some 2 week old Lakenvelders...but she's just adorable, being mom to the babies......

But - I wouldn't recommend singletons - they need other chicks to grow up well....Just my 2 cents.

 

[Vanessabuffsnsilkies]

I used a feather duster as a "woobie" for my singleton. He runs to it and sits on it. He is adorable and very tame from me handling him.

 

[watersoflethe]

awww that is so cute..
i would totally take it in if i was close enough...

i would get it in a brooder and raise it separately...
he deserves to live

 

[sgtmck1]

We had one chick in a brooder it did fine but is the needest little thing you ever seen always has to be held moved it outside everytime you open the pen it jumps on my shoulder. tried putting with the other chickens it would have no part of that.

 

[pkeeler]

Sad news

I put Oscar under my broody hen and he was there when I went to sleep. Somehow, during the night or early morning, he fell in with our white langshan hen who has three other 10 day old chicks. She seemed to except him and was warming him when he needed it. I got the feeling he had missed out on "what to eat" lessons, so I was putting out chick starter for the family more than usual. Again, he defied the odds. But there was another lesson I guessed he missed (and a lesson I didn't know was given). The lesson was to stay away from the more dominant hens who have chicks. The other mother hen I have killed him. It was too fast for me to get there.

It is still incredible that he incubated in a garbage can. The confluence of weather factors and other strange occurrences was amazing. He got a good 10 hours in the sun, eating and drinking with a family. I didn't realize that the hen's other chicks must have learned to stay away from the other hens. This hen is easy going, and not very protective. But that is probably why she let Oscar hang with her in the first place. I had the two families fenced off (not the greatest fence and my dog must have knocked part of it down to let the other hen and her family in).

 

[NYRIR]

Poor Oscar! Sorry to hear it.